WoRMS name details
Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919
129598 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:129598)
unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Genus
- Species Ephesiella abyssorum (Hansen, 1878) accepted as Sphaerodorum abyssorum Hansen, 1878 (superseded subsequent combination)
- Species Ephesiella antarctica (McIntosh, 1885) accepted as Sphaerodorum antarcticum (McIntosh, 1885) (superseded subsequent combination)
- Species Ephesiella australiensis Hartmann-Schröder, 1982 accepted as Sphaerodorum australiense (Hartmann-Schröder, 1982) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella bipapillata Kudenov, 1987 accepted as Sphaerodorum bipapillatum (Kudenov, 1987) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella biserialis (Berkeley & Berkeley, 1944) accepted as Sphaerodoropsis biserialis (Berkeley & Berkeley, 1944) (superseded subsequent combination)
- Species Ephesiella brevicapitis (Moore, 1909) accepted as Sphaerodorum brevicapitis Moore, 1909 (superseded subsequent combination)
- Species Ephesiella cantonei Mòllica, 1994 accepted as Sphaerodorum cantonei (Mòllica, 1994) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella gallardi Fauchald, 1974 accepted as Sphaerodorum gallardi (Fauchald, 1974) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella macrocirris Hartman & Fauchald, 1971 accepted as Sphaerodorum macrocirris (Hartman & Fauchald, 1971) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella mammifera Fauchald, 1974 accepted as Sphaerodorum mammiferum (Fauchald, 1974) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella minuta (Webster & Benedict, 1887) accepted as Sphaerodoropsis minuta (Webster & Benedict, 1887) accepted as Sphaerodoridium minutum (Webster & Benedict, 1887) (superseded recombination)
- Species Ephesiella mixta Hartman & Fauchald, 1971 accepted as Sphaerodorum mixtum (Hartman & Fauchald, 1971) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella muhlenhardtae Hartmann-Schröder & Rosenfeldt, 1988 accepted as Sphaerodorum muhlenhardtae (Hartmann-Schröder & Rosenfeldt, 1988) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella oculata Imajima, 2003 accepted as Sphaerodorum oculatum (Imajima, 2003) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella pallida Fauchald, 1974 accepted as Sphaerodorum pallidum (Fauchald, 1974) (superseded subsequent combination)
- Species Ephesiella peripatus [Auctt. not Johnston, 1845] accepted as Ephesiella abyssorum (Hansen, 1878) accepted as Sphaerodorum abyssorum Hansen, 1878 (Claparède's concept, not Johnston's)
- Species Ephesiella phuketensis Bakken, 2002 accepted as Sphaerodorum phuketense (Bakken, 2002) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella ramosae Desbruyères, 1980 accepted as Sphaerodorum ramosae (Desbruyères, 1980) (superseded original combination)
- Species Ephesiella shivae (Rizzo, 2009) accepted as Sphaerodorum shivae (Rizzo, 2009) (superseded subsequent combination)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
Chamberlin, Ralph V. (1919). The Annelida Polychaeta [Albatross Expeditions]. <em>Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College.</em> 48: 1-514., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ia/memoirsofmuseumo4801harv
page(s): 182; note: for Ephesia peripatus [sensu] Claparede [details]
page(s): 182; note: for Ephesia peripatus [sensu] Claparede [details]
Note Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919 was erected for...
Type species Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919 was erected for Ephesia peripatus sensu Claparede (non Johnston), representing long-bodied sphaerodorids with compound chaetae.
Keep in mind that Claparede merely misidentified the species he had and wasn't creating a new name, but Chamberlin used the name as if Claparede had erected a new name, thus creating a difficulty for assigning a type species. Hartman & Fauchald (1971) gave their view of the situation as follows:
"The genotype by original designation is Ephesia peripatus ([sensu] Claparede, 1863, see Chamberlin, 1919, p. 182); the specific name of this species is invalid and should be replaced with E. abyssorum (Hansen, 1878, p. 9, pl. 6, figs. 9-12, as Sphaerodorum). The specific name peripatus was used by Claparede (1863) in the belief that he had the species originally described under that name by Johnston (1844). [Pollicita peripatus Johnston (1845)] is synonymous with Sphaerodorum gracilis (Rathke, 1843) as first suggested by Johnston (1865, p. 208). Johnston's species was moved to the genus Sphaerodorum by Grube (1850, p. 315), so the specific name peripatus is also preoccupied in the combination Sphaerodorum peripatus. The species described by Claparede and Hansen differs from the one described by Johnston in that the setae are composite in the former and simple in the latter. Other details are difficult to compare based on the original descriptions. The junior synonym abyssorum Hansen (1878) is thus available for Claparede's species, as pointed out by Pettibone (1963, p. 208)."
Note that abyssorum was not a junior synonym as such - there is a senior concept description but no senior synonym as such as Claparede's description is merely a misapplication of a name with no separate status of its own. [details]
Keep in mind that Claparede merely misidentified the species he had and wasn't creating a new name, but Chamberlin used the name as if Claparede had erected a new name, thus creating a difficulty for assigning a type species. Hartman & Fauchald (1971) gave their view of the situation as follows:
"The genotype by original designation is Ephesia peripatus ([sensu] Claparede, 1863, see Chamberlin, 1919, p. 182); the specific name of this species is invalid and should be replaced with E. abyssorum (Hansen, 1878, p. 9, pl. 6, figs. 9-12, as Sphaerodorum). The specific name peripatus was used by Claparede (1863) in the belief that he had the species originally described under that name by Johnston (1844). [Pollicita peripatus Johnston (1845)] is synonymous with Sphaerodorum gracilis (Rathke, 1843) as first suggested by Johnston (1865, p. 208). Johnston's species was moved to the genus Sphaerodorum by Grube (1850, p. 315), so the specific name peripatus is also preoccupied in the combination Sphaerodorum peripatus. The species described by Claparede and Hansen differs from the one described by Johnston in that the setae are composite in the former and simple in the latter. Other details are difficult to compare based on the original descriptions. The junior synonym abyssorum Hansen (1878) is thus available for Claparede's species, as pointed out by Pettibone (1963, p. 208)."
Note that abyssorum was not a junior synonym as such - there is a senior concept description but no senior synonym as such as Claparede's description is merely a misapplication of a name with no separate status of its own. [details]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2026). World Polychaeta Database. Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=129598 on 2026-09-17
Date
action
by
The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
original description
Chamberlin, Ralph V. (1919). The Annelida Polychaeta [Albatross Expeditions]. <em>Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College.</em> 48: 1-514., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ia/memoirsofmuseumo4801harv
page(s): 182; note: for Ephesia peripatus [sensu] Claparede [details]
page(s): 182; note: for Ephesia peripatus [sensu] Claparede [details]
Taxonomy
taxonomy source
Hartman, O.; Fauchald, K. (1971). Deep-water benthic polychaetous annelids off New England to Bermuda and other North Atlantic Areas. Part II. <em>Allan Hancock Monographs in Marine Biology.</em> 6: 1-327., available online at http://hdl.handle.net/10088/3458
page(s): 65; note: authors explain why type species is 'abyssorum' Hansen, 1l878 [details]
source of synonymy Capa, María; Bakken, Torkild; Meißner, Karin; Nygren, Arne. (2018). Three, two, one! Revision of the long-bodied sphaerodorids (Sphaerodoridae, Annelida) and synonymization of <i>Ephesiella</i>, <i>Ephesiopsis</i> and <i>Sphaerodorum</i>. <em>PeerJ.</em> 6:e5783; DOI 10.7717/peerj.5783., available online at https://peerj.com/articles/5783
page(s): 22; note: with Sphaerodorum [details] Available for editors
[request]
page(s): 65; note: authors explain why type species is 'abyssorum' Hansen, 1l878 [details]
source of synonymy Capa, María; Bakken, Torkild; Meißner, Karin; Nygren, Arne. (2018). Three, two, one! Revision of the long-bodied sphaerodorids (Sphaerodoridae, Annelida) and synonymization of <i>Ephesiella</i>, <i>Ephesiopsis</i> and <i>Sphaerodorum</i>. <em>PeerJ.</em> 6:e5783; DOI 10.7717/peerj.5783., available online at https://peerj.com/articles/5783
page(s): 22; note: with Sphaerodorum [details] Available for editors
[request]Other
additional source
Bellan, G. (2001). Polychaeta, <i>in</i>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. <em>Collection Patrimoines Naturels.</em> 50: 214-231. (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Fauchald, K. (1977). The polychaete worms, definitions and keys to the orders, families and genera. <em>Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, CA (USA), Science Series.</em> 28:1-188., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/123110.pdf [details]
additional source Glasby, Christopher J.; Read, Geoffrey B.; Lee, Kenneth E.; Blakemore, R.J.; Fraser, P.M.; Pinder, A.M.; Erséus, C.; Moser, W.E.; Burreson, E.M.; Govedich, F.R.; Davies, R.W.; Dawson, E.W. (2009). Phylum Annelida: bristleworms, earthworms, leeches. <em>[Book chapter].</em> Chapt 17, pp. 312-358. in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. [details] Available for editors [request]
additional source Mòllica, Emanuele. (1994). First record of <i>Ephesiella</i> Chamberlin, 1919 (Polychaeta: Sphaerodoridae) in the Mediterranean Sea, with a description of a new species. <em>Marine Life.</em> 4(2): 19-21., available online at https://www.marinelife-revue.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mollica-1994-marlife.pdf [details] Available for editors [request]
additional source Fauchald, K. (1977). The polychaete worms, definitions and keys to the orders, families and genera. <em>Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, CA (USA), Science Series.</em> 28:1-188., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/123110.pdf [details]
additional source Glasby, Christopher J.; Read, Geoffrey B.; Lee, Kenneth E.; Blakemore, R.J.; Fraser, P.M.; Pinder, A.M.; Erséus, C.; Moser, W.E.; Burreson, E.M.; Govedich, F.R.; Davies, R.W.; Dawson, E.W. (2009). Phylum Annelida: bristleworms, earthworms, leeches. <em>[Book chapter].</em> Chapt 17, pp. 312-358. in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch. [details] Available for editors
[request]additional source Mòllica, Emanuele. (1994). First record of <i>Ephesiella</i> Chamberlin, 1919 (Polychaeta: Sphaerodoridae) in the Mediterranean Sea, with a description of a new species. <em>Marine Life.</em> 4(2): 19-21., available online at https://www.marinelife-revue.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/mollica-1994-marlife.pdf [details] Available for editors
[request]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Type species Ephesiella Chamberlin, 1919 was erected for Ephesia peripatus sensu Claparede (non Johnston), representing long-bodied sphaerodorids with compound chaetae. Keep in mind that Claparede merely misidentified the species he had and wasn't creating a new name, but Chamberlin used the name as if Claparede had erected a new name, thus creating a difficulty for assigning a type species. Hartman & Fauchald (1971) gave their view of the situation as follows:
"The genotype by original designation is Ephesia peripatus ([sensu] Claparede, 1863, see Chamberlin, 1919, p. 182); the specific name of this species is invalid and should be replaced with E. abyssorum (Hansen, 1878, p. 9, pl. 6, figs. 9-12, as Sphaerodorum). The specific name peripatus was used by Claparede (1863) in the belief that he had the species originally described under that name by Johnston (1844). [Pollicita peripatus Johnston (1845)] is synonymous with Sphaerodorum gracilis (Rathke, 1843) as first suggested by Johnston (1865, p. 208). Johnston's species was moved to the genus Sphaerodorum by Grube (1850, p. 315), so the specific name peripatus is also preoccupied in the combination Sphaerodorum peripatus. The species described by Claparede and Hansen differs from the one described by Johnston in that the setae are composite in the former and simple in the latter. Other details are difficult to compare based on the original descriptions. The junior synonym abyssorum Hansen (1878) is thus available for Claparede's species, as pointed out by Pettibone (1963, p. 208)."
Note that abyssorum was not a junior synonym as such - there is a senior concept description but no senior synonym as such as Claparede's description is merely a misapplication of a name with no separate status of its own. [details]
